How to Distribute, Refresh, Remove, Prestage and Monitor Content on DP

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you want to distribute:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the applications that you want to distribute.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the packages that you want to distribute.

·Deployment Packages: Expand Software Updates, click Deployment Packages, and then select the deployment packages that you want to distribute.

·Driver Packages: Expand Operating Systems, click Driver Packages, and then select the driver packages that you want to distribute.

·Operating System Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Images, and then select the operating system images that you want to distribute.

·Operating System Installers: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Installers, and then select the operating system installers that you want to distribute.

·Boot Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Boot Images, and then select the boot images that you want to distribute.

·Task Sequences: Expand Operating Systems, click Task Sequences, and then select the task sequence that you want to distribute. Though task sequences do not contain content, they have associated content dependencies that are distributed.

3.On the Home tab, in the Deployment group, click Distribute Content. The Distribute Content Wizard opens.

4.On the General page, verify that the content listed is the content that you want to distribute, choose whether you want Configuration Manager to detect content dependencies that are associated with the selected content and add the dependencies to the distribution, and then click Next.

Note:

You have the option to configure the Detect associated content dependencies and add them to this distribution setting only for the application content type. Configuration Manager automatically configures this setting for task sequences and it cannot be modified.

5.On the Content tab, if displayed, verify that the content listed is the content that you want to distribute, and then click Next.

Note:

The Content page displays only when the Detect associated content dependencies and add them to this distribution setting is selected on the General page of the wizard.

6.On the Content Destination page, click Add, choose one of the following, and then follow the associated step:

·Collections: Select User Collections or Device Collections, click the collection associated with one or more distribution point groups, and then click OK.

Note:

All collections are displayed whether or not they are associated with a distribution point group.

·Distribution Point: Select an existing distribution point, and then click OK. Distribution points that have previously received the content are not displayed.

·Distribution Point Group: Select an existing distribution point group, and then click OK. Distribution point groups that have previously received the content are not displayed.

When you finish adding content destinations, click Next.

7.On the Summary page, review the settings for the distribution before you continue. To distribute the content to the selected destinations, click Next.

8.The Progress page displays the progress of the distribution.

9.The Confirmation page displays whether or not the content was successfully assigned to the points.

How to update content on distribution points

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you want to distribute:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the applications that you want to distribute. Click the Deployment Types tab, and then select the deployment type that you want to update.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the packages that you want to update.

·Deployment Packages: Expand Software Updates, click Deployment Packages, and then select the deployment packages that you want to update.

·Driver Packages: Expand Operating Systems, click Driver Packages, and then select the driver packages that you want to update.

·Operating System Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Images, and then select the operating system images that you want to update.

·Operating System Installers: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Installers, and then select the operating system installers that you want to update.

·Boot Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Boot Images, and then select the boot images that you want to update.

3.On the Home tab, in the Deployment group, click Update Distribution Points, and then click OK to confirm that you want to update the content.

Note:

To update content for applications, click the Deployment Types tab, right-click the deployment type, click Refresh Content, and then click OK to confirm that you want to refresh the content.

Note:

When you update content for boot images, the Manage Distribution Point Wizard opens. Review the information on the Summary page, and then complete the wizard to update the content.

Redistribute Content on Distribution Points

You can redistribute a package to copy the content files in the package to distribution points or distribution point groups, overwriting the existing files. You will typically use this operation to repair content files in the package. You can redistribute a package in package properties, distribution point properties, or distribution point group properties. Use one of the following procedures to redistribute the content files in a package to distribution points.

How to redistribute content from package properties

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you want to distribute:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the application that you want to redistribute.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the package that you want to redistribute.

·Deployment Packages: Expand Software Updates, click Deployment Packages, and then select the deployment package that you want to redistribute.

·Driver Packages: Expand Operating Systems, click Driver Packages, and then select the driver package that you want to redistribute.

·Operating System Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Images, and then select the operating system image that you want to redistribute.

·Operating System Installers: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Installers, and then select the operating system installer that you want to redistribute.

·Boot Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Boot Images, and then select the boot image that you want to redistribute.

3.On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

4.Click the Content Locations tab, select the distribution point or distribution point group in which you want to redistribute the content, click Redistribute, and then click OK.

How to redistribute content from distribution point properties

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

2.In the Administration workspace, click Distribution Points, and then select the distribution point in which you want to redistribute content. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

3.Click the Content tab, select the content to redistribute, click Redistribute, and then click OK.

How to redistribute content from distribution point group properties

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

2.In the Administration workspace, click Distribution Point Groups, and then select the distribution point group in which you want to redistribute content. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

3.Click the Content tab, select the content to redistribute, click Redistribute, and then click OK.

Remove Content on Distribution Points

When you no longer need content on your distribution points, you can remove the content files on the distribution point. When the content is associated with another package that was distributed to the same distribution point, the content will not be removed. You can remove the content in package properties, distribution point properties, or distribution point group properties. Use one of the following procedures to remove the content files from distribution points.

How to remove package content files from distribution points

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you want to delete:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the application that you want to remove.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the package that you want to remove.

·Deployment Packages: Expand Software Updates, click Deployment Packages, and then select the deployment package that you want to remove.

·Driver Packages: Expand Operating Systems, click Driver Packages, and then select the driver package that you want to remove.

·Operating System Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Images, and then select the operating system image that you want to remove.

·Operating System Installers: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Installers, and then select the operating system installer that you want to remove.

·Boot Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Boot Images, and then select the boot image that you want to remove.

3.On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

4.Click the Content Locations tab, select the distribution point or distribution point group from which you want to remove the content, click Remove, and then click OK.

How to remove content from distribution point properties

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

2.In the Administration workspace, click Distribution Points, and then select the distribution point in which you want to delete the content. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

3.Click the Content tab, select the content to remove, click Remove, and then click OK.

How to remove content from distribution point group properties

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

2.In the Administration workspace, click Distribution Point Groups, and then select the distribution point group in which you want to remove content. On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

3.Click the Content tab, select the content to remove, click Remove, and then click OK.

Pre-stage Content on a Distribution Point

You can configure schedule and throttling settings that help manage the distribution of content to remote distribution points. When scheduling and throttling does not provide a valid solution for the remote distribution point, you can pre-stage the content on the distribution point by performing the following steps:

1.Create a pre-staged content file that contains the files and associated metadata for the selected content.

2.Associate the content to the distribution point.

3.Import the content on a site server or distribution point.

Use the following procedure to create the pre-staged content file by using the Create Pre-staged Content File Wizard.

How to create the pre-staged content file

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you want to pre-stage:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the applications that you want to pre-stage.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the packages that you want to pre-stage.

·Driver Packages: Expand Operating Systems, click Driver Packages, and then select the driver packages that you want to pre-stage.

·Operating System Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Images, and then select the operating system images that you want to pre-stage.

·Operating System Installers: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Installers, and then select the operating system installers that you want to pre-stage.

·Boot Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Boot Images, and then select the boot images that you want to pre-stage.

For Applications: On the Home tab, in the Application group, expand Export, and then click Create Pre-staged Content File.

For Packages: On the Home tab, in the <PackageName> group, click Create Pre-staged Content File.

4.On the General page, click Browse, choose the location for the pre-staged content file, specify a name for the file, and then click Save. You will use this pre-staged content file on primary site servers, secondary site servers, or distribution points to import the content and metadata.

5.For applications, select Exportall dependencies to have Configuration Manager detect and add the dependencies associated with the application to the pre-staged content file. By default, this setting is selected.

7.On the Content page, verify that the content listed is the content that you want to add to the pre-staged content file, and then click Next.

8.On the Summary page, confirm the details. You can go back to previous pages and make changes. Click Next to create the pre-staged content file.

9.The Progress page displays the content that is being added to the pre-staged content file.

10.On the Completion page, verify that the pre-staged content file was created successfully, and then click Close.

After you create the pre-staged content file, you can assign the content to a distribution point and extract the content to the file system on the distribution point. Typically, you will copy the pre-staged content file to a portable drive, such as a USB drive, or burn the content to media, such as a DVD, and send it to the location of the distribution point that needs the content. You will also need to copy the ExtractContent command-line utility from <Configuration Manager Source Folder>\Tools to the computer where you want to import the pre-staged content file. You can add this to your USB drive, media, or copy it over the network.

Use the following procedure to associate the content on distribution points

Important:

Verify that the distribution points you want to pre-stage are identified as pre-staged distribution points or the content will be distributed to the distribution points by using the network.

How to associate the content on distribution points

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you used when creating the pre-staged content file:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the applications that you pre-staged.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the packages that you pre-staged.

3.On the Home tab, in the Deployment group, click Distribute Content. The Distribute Content Wizard opens.

4.On the General page, verify that the content listed is the content that you pre-staged, choose whether you want Configuration Manager to detect content dependencies that are associated with the selected content and add the dependencies to the distribution, and then click Next.

Note:

You have the option to configure the Detect associated content dependencies and add them to this distribution setting only for the application content type. Configuration Manager automatically configures this setting for task sequences and it cannot be modified.

5.On the Content tab, if displayed, verify that the content listed is the content that you want to distribute, and then click Next.

Note:

The Content page displays only when the Detect associated content dependencies and add them to this distribution setting is selected on the General page of the wizard.

6.On the Content Destination page, click Add, choose one of the following that includes the distribution points to be pre-staged, and then follow the associated step:

·Collections: Select User Collections or Device Collections, click the collection associated with one or more distribution point groups, and then click OK.

Note:

All collections are displayed whether or not they are associated with a distribution point group.

·Distribution Point: Select an existing distribution point, and then click OK. Distribution points that have previously received the content are not displayed.

·Distribution Point Group: Select an existing distribution point group, and then click OK. Distribution point groups that have previously received the content are not displayed.

When you finish adding content destinations, click Next.

7.On the Summary page, review the settings for the distribution before you continue. To distribute the content to the selected destinations, click Next.

8.The Progress page displays the progress of the distribution.

9.The Confirmation page displays whether or not the content was successfully assigned to the distribution points.

Use the following procedure to manually import the pre-staged content file by using the ExtractContent command-line utility

To import the pre-staged content file

1.Copy the ExtractContent command-line utility from <Configuration Manager Source Folder>\Tools to the computer where you want to import the pre-staged content file.

Note:

You can import one or more pre-staged content files on a site server, secondary site server, or distribution point.

2.Open the Command Prompt and navigate to the folder location of the ExtractContent utility.

3.Type ExtractContent /P:<Pre-stagedFileLocation>\<Pre-stagedFileName> /S to import a single file.

Type ExtractContent /P:<Pre-stagedFileLocation> /S to import all pre-staged files in the specified folder.

For example, type ExtractContent /P:D:\Pre-stagedFiles\MyPre-stagedFile.pkgx /S where D:\Pre-stagedFiles\ is the Pre-stagedFileLocation, MyPre-stagedFile.pkgx is the pre-staged file name, and /S informs Configuration Manager to import only content files that are newer than what is currently on the distribution point.

Initiate Content Validation

How to initiate content validation for all content on a distribution point

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Administration.

2.In the Administration workspace, click Distribution Points, and then select the distribution point in which you want to validate content.

3.On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

4.On the Content tab, select the package in which you want to validate the content, click Validate, click OK, and then click OK. The content validation process initiates for the package on the distribution point.

5.To view the results of the content validation process, go to the Monitoring workspace, expand Distribution Status, and click the Content Status node. The content for each package type (for example, Application, Software Update Package, and Boot Image) is displayed.

How to initiate content validation for a package

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Software Library.

2.In the Software Library workspace, select one of the following steps for the type of content that you want to validate:

·Applications: Expand Application Management, click Applications, and then select the application that you want to validate.

·Packages: Expand Application Management, click Packages, and then select the package that you want to validate.

·Deployment Packages: Expand Software Updates, click Deployment Packages, and then select the deployment package that you want to validate.

·Driver Packages: Expand Operating Systems, click Driver Packages, and then select the driver package that you want to validate.

·Operating System Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Images, and then select the operating system image that you want to validate.

·Operating System Installers: Expand Operating Systems, click Operating System Installers, and then select the operating system installer that you want to validate.

·Boot Images: Expand Operating Systems, click Boot Images, and then select the boot image that you want to pre-stage.

3.On the Home tab, in the Properties group, click Properties.

4.On the Content Locations tab, select the distribution point or distribution point group in which to validate the content, click Validate, click OK, and then click OK. The content validation process initiates for the content on the selected distribution point or distribution point group.

5.To view the results of the content validation process, go to the Monitoring workspace, expand Distribution Status, and click the Content Status node. The content for each package type (for example, Application, Software Update Package, and Boot Image) is displayed.

To monitor content status

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Monitoring.

2.On the monitoring workspace, expand Distribution Status, and then click Content Status. The packages are displayed.

3.Select the package in which you want detailed status information.

4.On the Home tab, click View Status. Detailed status information for the package is displayed.

Distribution Point Configuration Status

How to monitor distribution point configuration status

1.In the Configuration Manager console, click Monitoring.

2.On the monitoring workspace, expand Distribution Status, and then click Distribution Point Configuration Status. The distribution points are displayed.

3.Select the distribution point in which you want distribution point status information.

4.In the results pane, click the Details tab. Status information for the distribution point is displayed.

Is there a method to remove or move devices from a targeted collection after a deployment has completed successully? It didn't jump out at in here. For instance, I have a collection of machines that I want to upgrade to a higher version of Adobe Reader. When the deployment package successfully completes, I want the devices to be moved to a "completed collection." Thx.

scripting or create 2 collections one example machines with adobe 9 and a second one with adobe 11 (dynamic collection, query) and enable inventory this will automatically assign the machines to the collection.

Great article but the Content Status window in the admin console is usually out of date 1-4 days. It would be nice to know how to monitor a distribution in the logs. Hopefully that is one way to monitor/troubleshoot in real-time

Is there a method or a way to just initiate the status sync. sometimes the content is there in the content library on the DP, but the Site Server still shows "waiting for prestage content". Rather than doing extractcontent and reimporting the prestage file all over again , is there a way to just sync status.